Annapolis on DVD

I went into viewing this movie with high expectations. There is nothing like a really good military movie to get your blood pumping. I figured Annapolis would be even better than the average military drama as I thought it was going to be about one of the toughest and most honored academies our country has to offer. Unfortunately, Annapolis never comes close to living up to those expectations.

While watching Annapolis, I could not help having an unnerving sense of déjà vu. I knew I had seen this movie before, and then it hit me, Annapolis is basically a remake of An Officer an a Gentleman. It is almost as if the screenwriters for Annapolis took the script from the old Richard Gere movie and wherever it mentioned Air Force pilot training, replaced it with Naval Academy officer training. This is no joke. They are basically the same movie.

The story centers on Jake Huard played by James Franco and his struggles with his father, life in general, and his time at the Annapolis Naval Academy. Oh yeah, there is also some boxing thrown in the mix. I think the boxing was supposed to be a metaphor for the struggle the Jake character goes through in life and at the Academy. Unfortunately, it misses completely, and comes across as kind of a cheesy Rocky knock off.

Once at the Academy Jake finds himself at odds with his commanding Officer Lt. Cole played by Tyrese Gibson. Lt. Cole feels Huard is not worth the Academy's time and tries his best to get Huard to quit. Gibson, who is a charismatic actor, is completely unbelievable in this role and this was a poor casting choice. He is nothing more than a Louis Gossett Jr. clone from An Officer an a Gentleman. The character has no depth and is basically one dimensional.

Predictably Jake Huard learns he must trust others and accept help as he cannot do everything on his own. With the help of his roommate and from a potential love interest Ali (Jordana Brewster) who is also an instructor at the Academy and therefore forbidden fruit, Jake trains for the Brigades Boxing tournament which is the most anticipated event of the year.

Jake is able to work his way to the championship fight where he has to face his nemesis Lt. Cole. There is extra drama added to the fight as Jake's friend and roommate tries to commit suicide after he is cut from the Academy by Lt. Cole. Again, this is a story line straight out of An Officer an a Gentleman. Jake ends up losing the fight, but earns the respect of Lt. Cole and all is well.

This was not a truly bad film, but was so unoriginal I felt duped. By calling the movie Annapolis I thought it would be about the actual Naval Academy, but it barely plays a part. The filmmakers spend little time developing the importance of Annapolis and how hard it really is to not only get in, but finish. This is described as almost an afterthought.

The performances of Donnie Wahlberg as Lt. Burton and Chi McBride as the Academy boxing instructor are worth noting. They put in the best actual acting performance of the entire film, and Chi McBride steals the scene every time he is in it.

The special features of this DVD include seven deleted scenes which also have the option of having commentary from the director, writer and editor of the film. There is also the obligatory director's comments option. The DVD also has two featurettes, "Plebe Year: The Story of Annapolis" and "The Brigades" neither of which is all that interesting however.

Annapolis is a disappointing film in that the very name of the movie is misleading. The Annapolis Naval Academy plays very little in the story of the movie other than it is where the characters happen to be. The special features are rather dull and really do not add anything to the package. I recommend anyone wanting to see Annapolis go see An Officer and a Gentleman instead. It is basically the same story but told far better.

2 stars

Special Features

7 Deleted Scenes with Audio Commentary option
Director's Commentary
Featurettes: "Plebe Year: The Story of Annapolis" & "The Brigades"
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
Widescreen format
Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound

Annapolis
Starring James Franco, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Donnie Wahlberg, & Chi McBride

Produced by Damien Saccani & Mark Vahradian

Directed by Justin Lin
Touchtone Pictures
Rated PG-13